Continuous-screw chocolate-press.



PATE'NTED JAN; 1, 1907.

G. GARLSONN CONTINUOUS SCREW GHOGOLATE PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 26,1905.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

'No. 840,298. PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907.

G. GARLSON.

commuous SCREW CHOCOLATE PRESS. APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 28,1905.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

zfiz'iibeaawx i g d 94 M' I EV M awrzwys'.

No. 840,298. PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907.

G; GARLSON.

-GONTINUOUS SCREW CHOCOLATE PRESS. APPLICATION FILED DEO.26,1905.

GABRIEL GARLSON OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

' CONTINUOUS-SCREW CHOCOLATE-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

Application filed December 26, 1905- Serial No. 293,317.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that LGABRIEL OARLsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, resid ing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State [of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Screw Chocolate-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of presses and, broadly, to that class known as chocolate-presses; and it has for its object to produce a machine that is continuous and automatic in its operation.

Broadly, the invention consists in forcing, by means of a pump or other suitable means, the semiliquid or viscous chocolate or paste into a cylinder in which is located a continuously-rotated screw and which acts as a or wall to retard the movement of the pasty mass toward the end of the cylinder, and during this slow movement of the screw the moisture or water is the asty finin s1owly-moving partition gradually forced or expressed from material through the perforated sheet and a series of longitudinal strips of felt beneath the perforated lining in the interior of the cylinder, while the dry material is forced out at t'he end of the cylinder through an opening therein, and, further, the invention consists, broadly, material at an end of the cylinder, which acts as an abutment or wall against which the semiliquid or pasty mass is forced by the feeding-in pump, said dry cake and pasty mass being veryslowly moved by the screw to gradually expel the dry .material'at the ends of the cylinder.

This invention distinctly diflers from the presses now in use, which have a screw extending toward a restricted opening in the end of the cylinder, through which the dry material can escape. It employs a screw having a very slow movement, the .interior of the cylinder having a felt lining, whereby a cake of dry material is formed at anend of the ylinder, and between the dry cake the pa t y material is forced into the cylinder under great pressure, embodying, in effect, the principle of the hydraulic press.

y the continuous operation of the feedingin pump the mass of pasty material is put under great pressure in the cylinder between the slow-moving cake and the feeding-in pump, whereby the moisture or water is thoroughly extracted by the felt lining within the cylinder. The pasty material is put in forming a cake of dry moisture or water which steel, as well as against the cake of dry material at the opposite end' of the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 1 1, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail end view of the discharge end of the cylinder. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 5, showing the use of two right and left hand threaded screws. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

' In the drawings, a designates the cylinder, of cast-iron or other suitable material, which is rigidly secured to the two posts I) by means of the machine-bolts 0. (Shown in Fig. 2..)

d designates the pedestals at the opposite end of the press, which are for the purpose of supporting the shaft .of the longitudinal screw e, carrying the right and left handed screw-blades f and g.

Bolted to the opposite ends of the cylinder a are the cylinder-heads h and adjustably secured by the bolts i. The interior of the cylinder .has a lining of perforated sheetsteel 46 and a series of longitudinal grooves j, eight of which areshown in Fig. 2. In the bottom of these grooves j are placed or milled a series of parallel longitudinal grooves or channels 7c, four of which are shownin Fig. 2. These series of grooves or channels are in communication at the end of the cylinder with the outlets m for carrying away the from the semiliquid chocolate, the moisture having been forced through the layer or layers of felt n, which are placedin the grooves j, as shown, andimmediately over the channels or smaller grooves 7c. The strips of felt, which extend nearly the entire length of the interior of the cylinder or cylinders, as shown in the drawings, are in contact with the lining of sheet steel, while the threads of the screw e, as clearly shown, are in close engagement with the perforated lining of sheet-steel.

The letter 0 designates as a whole a pump of any suitable construction which is used to force the semiliquid chocolate thrbu h the opening 1) into the interior of the cy inder. As shown, the or hopper q, into which the liquid or viscous chocolate is placed. At the lower, end of has been extracted pump consists of a receptacle this receptacle is a valve r, which controls l the passage-way to the pump-cylinder s, in which reciprocates the piston t of the pump. A 'valve it controls the passage-way leading from the cylinder s'to the opening p through the cylinder at. The pump is driven by means of a belt '0, which connects the two pulleys wand 90, the pulley w being mounted on the pump-shaft, while the pulley a; is mounted on the driving-shaft z.

Secured to the opposite ends of the screw care two large spur-gears 2, which are placed outside of the pedestals d, as shown in Fig. 1.

The shaft 2 extends longitudinally of the machine and carries pinions 3, which drive the large spur-gears 2, the belt 4 being connected to any suitable motive power.

It will be noticed that the cylinder composing the press proper is made in two pieces 5, which are secured together by means of the bolts 6. The object of constructing the cylinder in two pieces facilitates the planing or cutting of the longitudinal grooves or channels in the interior of the same.

It will be noticed that Fig. 1 shows the cylinder-heads hperforated at 7, having closing devices 7, (see Fig. 3,) the purpose of which is to allow the dry chocolate to continuously escape from the press when the screw is revolved during the operation.

At the opposite ends of the cylinders on the interior thereof a series of grooves or channels 8 are turned and they are in oommumcation with theoutlets m.

In operation the liquid chocolate is placed in a receptacle q and forced or fed down through the opening pinto thecylinder a,-(or cylinders a when two are used,) entering the same at the middle point thereof between the right and left hand threads or blades f and g of the screw, where it is fed in opposite directions toward the end of the cylinder. As the liquid chocolate is forced into the cylinder in opposite directions by the pump, it is sub 'ected to great pressure by reason of the fact t at the pump operates faster than the screw, embodylng, in effect, the principle of the hydraulic press. The openings 7 at the ends of the cylinders being very small perfectly dry chocolate is formed as cakes at the ends of the cylinder on account of the slow rotation of the" screw and the comparatively rapid operation of the pump. The moisture or water is therefore forced through the perforated steel lining and the felt n into the channels is, where it follows the grooves or channels 7c to the outlets m. (See Fig. 1.)

The dry chocolate accumulates in the end of the cylinder, forming a dry cake, as indi cated by the reference-letter k the pasty material being placed under pressure by reason of the fact that it is confined between the dry cake k at o posite ends of the cylinder and the outlet p rom the pump 0. The slow rotation of the screw or screws acts to prevent the pump from forcing the semiliquid is found to be substantially material through the machine too fast and around the cyl.ndrical screw-shaft e and through the openings 7.

I have found that in the operation of this machine the pressure on the chocolate paste is caused entirely by the pump 0. The precise point in the cylinder a or a at which the pasty mass forms a perfectly dry cake from the pasty material is an arbitrary one; but it at the point indicated in the drawings by the cake k. The formation of a dry cake of chocolate at oppositeends of the cylinder, and thereby exerting lateral pressure on the side wa ls of the cylinder, is a most important feature of my invention, and upon this principle my invention is broadly based and herein claimed. The turned grooves 8 at opposite ends of the cylinders being in communication with all of the longitudinal grooves, the channels j and k serve to carry the water that has been forced from the chocolate through the various strips of felt down to the outlets m.

By means of this machine all of the moisture can be extracted from the chocolate, and the same escapes as a dry or pulverized powder through the openings 7 at opposite ends of the cylinders, a most important feature being that the press can be regulated so as to extract more or less of the moisture. This is accomplished by adjusting the pieces 7 at the ends of the cylinders and in varying the speed of rotation of the screw.

The interior of the cylinder, as shown in cross-section is octagonal, although it may be circular. The inte.ior shape, however, forms no part of my invention, the only point being that the interior of the same is substantially filled by the revolving screw.

In the modified arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5 I employ two screws in the same hor zontal line, the screw. each having a right and left hand thread and the threads of the two screws overlapping each other, as shown, the purpose of this overlapping arrangement being to autoi'natica ly scrape or clean the blades of the screws during the operation of the press in order to prevent the chocolate or pasty-material adhering thereto and moving as a solid mass with the screw within the body of the cylinder, as might be the case when only one screw is used. It is to be understood that this modified arrangement employs the perforated lining of sheetsteel or other material and a backing of felt for'extracting the moisture and the grooves below the layers of felt for carrying away the moisture to outside of the cylinder and operative means for simultaneously driving the pump and screws, as in. Fig. '1. The two screws are rotated by gearing, as shown, at the opposite endsof the screw-shafts and in opposite directions, as shown by the arrows e.

have not deemed it necessary to show the driving means connecting the two screws and ICC the pump in eitherj Figs. 4 or 5, as such means forms no -part of my invention and is identical with that shown in Figs. 1 and '2.

. combination with a cylinder, longitudinal grooves in the interior thereof and communieating with openings. adjacent the ends of the cylin er, absorbent material in the longitudinal grooves, adjustable cylinder-heads, a screw adjacent said absorbent material, and means fpr forcing the material into the cyl-i inder, and operating means for said screw and said forcing means' 2. In acontinuous chocolate-press, a cylinder, longitudinal grooves extending nearly the entire length of the interior of the cylincrating der, transverse grooves in communication with the longitudinal grooves, absorbent material located in said longitudinal grooves, cylinder-heads rigidly secured to the ends of the "cylinder and having 0 enings therethrough, a right and left and threaded screw located in said cylinder, and means for forcing the material from which moisture is to be extracted into the cylinder, and 0pmeans for the cylinder and. the feedmg means.

3. In a ohocolate-press,- the combination of a cylinder, a screw therein, a series'of grooves located in the interior of the cylinder, said grooves having a series of grooves .111 the'bottom of the same, absorbent material located in the first series ofgrooves and 7 over the second series of grooves, outlets in the opposite ends of the cylinder commuIneating with said series of grooves, cylinderheads secured to the opposite ends of the cylinder, a pumpfor forcing the chocolate into the cylinder and-located midway of the cylinder, and means for simultaneously operating the pump and the screw located in the cylinder. v

v 4.. In a device of the class described, the, combination with a cylinder, a series of longitudinal grooves extending nearly the entire length of the interior of'the cylinder, a-

5 rseries of transverse grooves of channels communicating with the lbngitudinal grooves, absorbent material in the lon ltudinal grooves, cylinder-heads secured to t e opposite ends of the cylindersand having openings therethrough, a right and left hand threaded screw located in the said cylinder,

a receptacle for holding the material, from opening in the end of said cylinder to create lateral pressure against the wall of the cylinder, and a porous lining for the cylinder.

6. In a machine of the class described, a cylinder having substantially closed ends, absorbent material in the interior of the cylinder, means for forcing the pasty material into said cylinder, retarding means to prevent the rapid movement of the pasty material in opposite directions whereby lateral pressure is exerted against the lateral Walls of the cylinder and moisture is extracted from the past material, and whereby a cake of substantia ly dry material is formed at different ends of the cylinder.

7. In a chocolate-press, a casing longitudinaIly divided and having two screws therein and slowly rotated in opposite directions, said screws each having a right and left hand thread and overlapping each other, an interior -'lining of erforated metal in close contact .with the b ades of. the screws,a felt backing for said metal lining, and transverse grooves back of said felt backing whereby when the machine is operated, a dry cake will be formed from-the pasty mass.

8. In a machine of the class described, a casing having two screws located therein, and means for rotating said screws in opposite directions, the blades of said screws overlapping each other, a restricted openin at one end of said casing, absorbent materia within said casing and adjacent the periphery of the screws, means for. forcing a pasty or semiliquid material into the casing under pressure, said means for forcing the ,material into the casin being operated at a Witnessesz WM. CHAPIN,

H. W. BOWEN. 

